Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Eli Yishai said he would authorize a project to renovate runways at the Ben Gurion Airport on the condition that works on the weekend would be conducted by non-Jewish laborers.

Yishai decided that Jews would only be allowed to hold managerial positions in the project.

The Israel Aviation Authority began renovating the runways in July, and is planning to have the works completed by the end of November.

During this time, the airport would have to shut down on six consecutive weekends, to allow construction to be carried out on the runways.

Yishai's decision is in line with the Hours of Work and Rest Law, which prohibits working on Saturday.

The minister's aides also stated that his decision was backed by a halachic ruling of Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, and approved by Shas' spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.

Beyond the immediate, kashrut-related benefits, Tzohar's revolt also has potentially far-reaching consequences for vital issues such as marriage, divorce and conversion.

Granted, Tzohar is unlikely to introduce competition on these issues anytime soon.

Nevertheless, should Tzohar's gambit succeed, the implicit threat will be there: Just as religious Zionists, once the kashrut monopoly's staunchest supporters, ultimately led a successful revolt against it, they are liable to do the same in other areas unless the rabbinate shapes up. That threat could even prompt the rabbinate to reform.

Back in the time of the Bible, Joseph dreamed about seven years of famine, and he was able to deal with it," said Aaron Katzman, a columnist at the Haredi newspaper Hamodia who criticized the group of rabbis challenging therabbinate's authority over kashrut inspection.

"With all of our technology, we can't get through this one-year shmita-cycle?"

Some growers, however, do intend to observe shmita fully. Shahar Caspi, an Orthodox Jew who farms organically on Moshav Herut in the Sharon region, recently informed his customers that the farm will not be in operation in the coming year.

Caspi and his family are planning to spend the whole year, until next Rosh Hashanah, in the United States.

Despite the recent ruling by the Chief Rabbinate that Jews may not participate in any Christian events, Rabbis Shlomo Riskin and Benny Elon spoke in support of the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem (DPPJ) on Sunday night at the Haas Promenade.

Organized by Rev. Robert Stearns of the group Eagles' Wings and Dr. Jack Hayford of The Church on the Way, DPPJ united over 150 nations and more than 150,000 churches worldwide in prayer.

For the first time this year, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel banned Jews from participating in the parade, fearing missionary influences. However, despite the ban, many religious and Orthodox Jews still turned out to watch and participate in the Sukkot festivities.

Representatives of the Rabbinate were present at the march handing out flyers, headlined "Missionary Threat", which explained the opposition to the Christian participation in the parade.

The definitions of "get-refusal" or "intransigent" as the basis for the low figures cited by the rabbinate are contested, since the rabbinical court tallies only cases where the court decided that the couple should divorce.

The court does not consider those individuals who only overcame a recalcitrant spouse by paying a high price, those who despaired of a get and whose cases are no longer active, nor those for whom the court has yet to rule despite the passage of long years.

When asked about prenuptial agreements as a solution for difficulties associated with get-refusal, Ben-Dahan says that "on principle" he approves, and that "many dayanim and rabbanim accept them - if they are according to Halacha."

Lev Leviev, an internationally known real estate and diamonds magnate, paid money to 60 Israeli state schools through his foundation to teach "traditional values and Jewish culture".

The organization - The Leviev Foundation for Jewish Education and Identity - which he co-founded with his wife Olga, also supplies study material and books.

Here in Israel, he paid for "Travel Time" (zman masa) lessons at the 60 schools. His media adviser says Leviev had been horrified by the paucity of religious education at state schools, and decided to do something about it.

The religious lessons are provided from grades 1 through 6, and are taught by religious female students at teacher training colleges. The teachers discuss the importance of prayer and the halakhic view of history.

When Ruth (not her real name) asked to sign up for an ultra-Orthodox high school in her home town in the North, she was refused.

The official reason: Claims by the educational institution's management of so-called immodest behavior by her mother - which Ruth rejected out of hand.

According to Rabbi Yoav Lalum, claims of immodest behavior are usually a front for justifying discrimination. Lalum is the chairman of a non-profit organization battling ultra-Orthodox schools over sectorial discrimination against Jews of Sephardic heritage.